Wishful Thinking
by Lavender Gaia
Summary: Jealousy rages as an old partner of Robin's joins the mix, but new friends of Cyborg and Beast Boy may put them in more trouble than the Titans can handle. StarxRob, others.
1. Jealousy

Wishful Thinking

A Teen Titans fanfic by Lavender Gaia

Editing and Assistance by Emmi and Laine

Chapter 1: Jealousy

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any of its characters. They are all property of DC Comics.

Note: I am a firm believer that Robin is Dick Grayson and that will be shown in my stories. It is of my opinion that most of the facts point to it being him, and I like him better than Jason or Tim. If you have any problem with that at all, this is not the story for you and I hope you find some other fanfic to suit your tastes.

* * *

The piano wire slit the throat of its innocent victim, ripping through muscle and skin until it was fully decapitated. A tall man picked up the head by its long locks of red hair, holding it up to the light and examining the dirty business. Her mouth was still open in a scream, eyes wide with fear. His lips twisted into a gruesome smile, before he turned towards the still twitching body. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a knife and shoved it into her heart. "Just to be safe, love." 

Robin stared down at the similar red head buried against his right arm. "It's over now, Starfire," he whispered, as not to disturb Beast Boy and Cyborg who were watching the screen in front of them intensely.

"Oh, I thank you, Robin," she whispered back, facing the screen again. Her grip on his forearm lessened and she resumed a sitting position. He realized his side was cold and wished that the movie was scarier.

A light blinked overhead and there was a sudden chime throughout the room. It took everyone a second to realize that a person had actually ringed the doorbell. They had very few visitors who didn't break in to kill or capture them in some obscure manner, and weren't quite used to it. "Cyborg, can you get the door?" Robin requested through a mouthful of popcorn.

"No way! BB's closer, make him get it," the mechanical man protested.

"Hey, I was the one who rented this movie," Beast Boy explained. "I'm not missing a minute of it."

Robin shot Cyborg a desperate look. The crazed murderer was searching for his new victim, preparing to kill them by means of a plastic spork. Starfire once again clung to him, and it would be a terrible inconvenience if he had to get up just then.

The tall man sighed. "Fine, fine, I got it."

The Boy Wonder sighed in relief and the trio returned to their film. A moment later, he called, "Hey, Rob, it's a girl for you. Says her name is Donna."

"I don't know any Donna," he replied easily, not noticing the troubled look clouding over Starfire's eyes.

"Donna Troy," Cyborg repeated. "Ring any bells?"

Confused eyes blinked behind his mask. It did sound vaguely familiar. "Donna…Donna…Oh my god, Donna! Cy, let her in!" He hopped over the couch, facing the door with a grin as the tin man obeyed.

A minute later, the four faced a young woman that seemed to be their age. Black hair curled just past her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes matched the wide smile on her face. "Donna!" Robin cried, picking her up and swinging her around in a rare view of ecstasy.

"Dick!" she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging tightly.

Beast Boy snorted. "Dick? You're gonna just let this girl come in and insult you like that?"

"That's my name, Beast Boy," he deadpanned, placing Donna lightly on the floor.

A green jaw and a metal jaw both dropped in surprise. "No way!"

"Who is this girl, friend Robin?" Starfire ventured to ask quietly. In the middle of the commotion, she'd stopped the movie and turned the lights on.

"She's one of my oldest, closest friends." He wrapped around Donna's waist and squeezed. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not allowed to come visit?" she pretended to be offended, but a sparkle in her eye gave it away.

"Of course you are! Let me introduce everyone. Guys, this is Donna Troy. Donna this is Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy. Raven's in her room." Robin gestured to each member in turn. "We're the Teen Titans."

"This is a great place you have here," she told him sincerely. "I saw the Titan's East recently, and since I had some time off I decided who better to visit than my best friend!"

Cyborg glanced at Starfire, already seeing the glue of her fake smile coming undone. "So, have you two each other long?"

"We met through a friend of a friend," Donna explained carefully, glancing over at Robin to see if she was revealing too much. "Before you all decided to form the Titans."

"Well, you're welcome to stay here during your vacation," Robin offered, the smile still not leaving his face.

"I wouldn't want to impose…" she whispered. Silently, Starfire agreed. She didn't want Donna to impose either.

"We have plenty of room," Robin told her. "It'd be nice to catch up."

"If you really want me to stay, I will, Dick."

"Great!" Cyborg said, breaking through the silence that seemed to accumulate from Starfire, Beast Boy and himself. It was almost as if they were watching the conversation, and not actively participating, besides Beast Boy's occasional sniggers and whispering of the name Dick. "We were watching a movie. Want to join us?"

"Sure!" They settled once more on the large couch, with Donna taking up Robin's left side. "What kind of movie is it?"

"Horror!" Beast Boy announced proudly. "The best kind. As long as you don't get too scared."

"I don't scare that easily," she smirked as Cyborg used one of the many remotes to restart the movie. It continued the scene where someone suffered death by plastic spork. Nothing too exciting happened until the villain suddenly appeared through a car windshield to murder the driver by smashing a golf club into her temple repeatedly.

Donna visibly jumped and held on to the closest object: Robin. "Sorry." She bit her bottom lip sheepishly. "Guess I'm a tad more jumpy than I thought."

"It's ok," he insisted, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

On his other side, Starfire watched the pair intensely, trying not to wince at their closeness. Realizing there was no one left for her to hold on to, she simply folded her hands in her lap. It almost felt like she was watching all alone.

A cold arm wrapped around her shoulder. Starfire blinked, then looked to see Cyborg give her a sympathetic, yet encouraging smile. She returned it slowly, and got used to holding on to his mechanical limbs for the remainder of the movie. When it was finally over, she stood and faced the quartet on the couch. "I believe I will go check on friend Raven."

She floated out of the living room and into the hallway, continuing until she arrived at Raven's room and knocked on the door. Her teammate opened the door, raising an eyebrow at Starfire. "Yes?"

"I came to see if you were ok, Raven. Would you enjoy company?"

"No."

"Oh," the door started to close until Starfire said, "Robin has a friend visiting!"

"A friend? What friend?"

"Her name is Donna," the taller girl whispered.

"Her name?" Raven held back a sigh. Even without being an empath, she could tell that this girl was making Starfire uneasy. "I'm sure it's nothing, Star."

"Yes…you are right." Starfire managed a smile and nodded. "Thank you, friend."

"No problem. I'll see you later." Raven shut the door, scowling into her dark bedroom.

Down the corridor, Robin opened the door to his room. "This is it. Nothing special."

Her eyes flitted over the area, soaking it all in. "It's very…neat." She slid opened the closet door and did a double take. "Whoa…why do you have like, ten uniforms?"

"Because that's what I wear everyday."

"You…don't have regular clothes anymore?"

He sighed. "I do, I just don't wear them." At her curious look, he explained. "It's just a lot easier being Robin all the time than it is switching back and forth between Robin and Dick Grayson."

"But…my best friend isn't Robin…it's Dick," she whispered.

"I'm still the same guy, Donna. I just wear a mask a lot," He grinned at her, sitting down on his bed and gesturing for her to do the same.

"But you have great eyes." Her fingers felt the cloth of his mask. "Please?" Robin hesitated before nodding lightly, and she removed it from his face. "There," she smiled, "that's the Dick Grayson I know." Arms wrapped around his neck and hugged.

He hugged her back. "So, tell me how life's been going for you?"

"Really well, actually. School just let out for summer. I'm happy I could spend some of it with you," Donna grinned. "Just let me know when I'm in the way and I'll leave."

"Don't even think about it!" He protested. "It's not as if you can't fend for yourself. Actually, I imagine you'd be more of a help than anything else."

"Fighting with you and working with Diana could be two different things," she reminded him. "If you all have something set up, I don't want to get in the way."

"We usually just make it up as we go along," he grinned. "Come on, I missed you, Donna. Don't say you're going to leave so soon. Diana can handle saving the world without you. Let's go get your bags and you can settle in here for as long as you want to stay. Unless that's all you have," Dick gestured to the bag on her shoulder. "That can't be it though. I know you better that that."

"Actually, this is my camera bag." Donna held out the leather case for him to examine. "I just graduated and I want to go to college for photography."

"Wow," he whispered. "That's amazing. It really is."

"Have you ever considered going?" She asked lightly, judging his facial reaction.

"I used to. Before I started the Titans, when I was going to school. But now…I don't think so. What would I study anyway? I'm not like you, who has hobbies and stuff," Robin pointed out.

"Criminology? Quantum physics? It's college; if you can dream it up, you can study it in most places." Donna watched as he stared at his bedspread. "Just…I dunno, think about it, ok?"

He smiled at her. "Sure. So, where's the rest of your stuff?"

"Hotel on 7th. I don't really need it now though. I already paid for tonight."

"Ok. We could go get you enough for tonight and tomorrow, then I'll ask Cyborg if he'll drive you over to pick up the rest of your stuff," Robin suggested. "We'll go out to dinner. There's a really great pizza place around here."

"That sounds great. Should we go tell everyone else?" Donna stood up and looked towards the door.

"Well, I was thinking it could just be the two of us. Really catch up on everything." He surveyed her reaction hesitantly.

Donna smiled slowly. "Alright, if that's what you'd like. But could you do something for me?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I'd like to go with Dick. Not Robin," she nodded to his outfit.

"Oh. Wow. I…" He stared into her blue eyes that would never force him to do anything he didn't want to do. She was good like that. "Ok, sure. Just give me a second to change."

Her arms wrapped around his neck and he hugged her back. "I'll just wait in the hall I guess." Donna walked outside and taking a deep breath, Robin pulled plastic bins out from under his bed.

Out in the living room, Beast Boy stretched and put down his controller. "Man, Star, that's the fifteenth time I beat you!"

"I apologize, Beast Boy." She sighed. "I fear I am just not in the game. Cyborg, would you like to play?"

"Sure, Star." He took the controller from her and settled himself next to the green man. "Poor kid. She looks like her dog just died."

"Don't even joke about something like that," Beast Boy warned him, shuddering lightly. "But I know what you mean. Ever since that hot friend of Robin's came, she's been moping around."

"We know she's jealous," Cyborg made his character kick BB's in the head. "I mean, what's Robin supposed to do if his friends are girls and pretty ones at that."

"He's kinda being insensitive though." The two didn't bother to try and keep their voices down. Between the loud video game and Starfire concentrating on other things, there was no need to. "It's so obvious she likes him. Why else would she be all over him during the movie? The girl's an alien warrior who could've killed the bad guy with her eyes."

"I know that, you don't have to tell me." He sighed and shook his head. "Maybe we should distract her or something."

Beast Boy punched his fist in the air as Cy's character took a major hit. "How? Video games didn't even work. And I don't think Raven's going to, I dunno, take her shopping or do a makeover with her. Because that'd be creepy."

"BOOYAH!" On screen, the animal man lay K.O.'ed on the floor while the robot did the robot as a victory dance.

"You have won?" Starfire was snapped out of her reverie by his cry of joy. "I congratulate you."

"Ok, I want a rematch! See, I was…just out of practice!" BB insisted, hands tightening around his controller.

"Um, no thanks, Beast Boy. I think I'm just gonna go work on my car. Star, mind helpin' me out?" He asked, nodding in the general direction of a room other than the one he was in.

"If you wish for my assistance, I shall indeed," She got off the couch and floated towards the elevator to get to the garage.

Beast Boy gave him a thumbs up for good luck and the two friends went to see his baby. Starfire didn't usually spend much time in the garage. That was Robin and Cyborg's territory, whenever either of them wanted to tune up their rides.

"Hey, T-car, how're you doing today?" The mechanical man asked gently, rubbing the hood affectionately.

"Do many people speak to their transportation?" She questioned as he murmured loving words to the car.

"Uh…well…sometimes." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Listen, can you hand me that wrench?"

She looked at the table behind her and handed him the piece of metal as he searched under the hood. "Is the car broken?"

"Oh, no. I just like to tune her up every once in a while, make sure my beauty's in perfect shape." Starfire peered over his shoulder after he handed the wrench back to her, watching him tinker away.

"Would you mind teaching me?" she requested softly.

He glanced back at her with a grin. "No problem, Starfire." Cyborg was about to begin his lesson as the door to the garage opened again. The pair looked up at another couple. "Whoa, Robin…is that you?"

A handsome man with jet black hair and dark blue eyes stood next to Donna, wearing jean pants and a red polo shirt. On his feet though, were the customary steel-toed boots. "Yeah, it's me. Donna and I were just going out for pizza. Don't worry, I have all my Robin gear with me. My communicator is in my pocket; just call if you need me."

"We won't be gone too long," Donna promised.

Starfire just stood there and stared at her leader. For once, she could think of nothing to say. Since she first met him, the princess attempted to forget how attractive he was, but now as he stood in front of her, without a mask for the first time, it took her breath away. But her eyes narrowed as his _friend_ grabbed his arm and smiled. Starfire grinded her teeth together and willed herself to think of anything other than throwing Donna off the top of Titan's Tower.

"Alright," Cyborg agreed slowly. "Have fun."

"Thank you!" she smiled, climbing behind Robin on the R-cycle.

The Tamaranean royalty followed them with her eyes as they sped away on the bike. Even once they were out of sight, she didn't stop looking at their path until Cyborg tapped her shoulder. "Um…Star?"

"Oh," She snapped back to attention. "Yes?"

"You, um, kind of destroyed my wrench."

She looked down at the contorted metal in her grasp. It was now bent out of any useable shape, and looked rather like the number three. "Oh! Forgive me, friend. I did not realize I had done so."

"It's ok, I've got plenty. So, you don't like Fearless Leader's new friend, huh?" He smirked lightly.

"I just…I do not understand why he allows her into our home so easily. How are we sure we can trust her?" Starfire wondered.

"Robin's got pretty good sense when it comes to people. You could've asked that about any of us when we first met," Cyborg pointed out. "She seems nice though. No need to be jealous."

"Jealous! But, no, I am not! I am merely concerned about our safety and worry that she may be a monster in disguise. It has been long since he last saw her, and—!"

"Whoa, cool it! I was just teasing you," He held up a hand in surrender, chuckling lightly. "Listen, why don't you just hand me a screw driver. And try not to wreck it, k?"

Sighing, she complied and attempted to listen to what he was telling her, though her mind was far away.

* * *

A/N: This is my first Teen Titans fanfic. I'm a big fan of both the television show and the comics, which I suppose is proven here by the fact that Donna is in it. Donna Troy was a very large character in the comic series and because she is not in the television show (and the only original member who has no plans to be in it so far) I will fill that void by putting her in my fanfiction. 

For those of you who don't know her, I'll explain more about her in the next chapter. Do not expect me to go into her deep personal history though, because that is confusing and should only be attempted by those brave enough. As it is, it gives me a headache, but I'll work with it the best I can and try to include major characters in her life at least once during this story (one of these people is a big DC character; I'm sure people who know of Donna can guess who!).

Questions, comments, reactions and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	2. Helping Hand

Wishful Thinking

A Teen Titans fanfic by Lavender Gaia

Editing by Lavender Gaia

Assistance by Emmi and Laine

Chapter 2: Helping Hand

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any of its characters. They are all property of DC Comics.

* * *

Donna looked over the menu as she and Robin sat at a circular table on the deck of the pizza parlor. "Do you come here often?" she asked, adjusting her seat so the sun wasn't directly in her eyes. 

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he replied, confused by the suddenly over-polite small talk. "Except we almost never get meat. It kind of freaks Beast Boy out."

"Understandable," she nodded. "Is he a vegan or just vegetarian?"

"Depends on what mood he's in that day," Robin grinned at her. "Wanna get the usual?"

She smiled at him and pretended to think. "Pepperoni, sausage, ham, green peppers and tons of extra cheese? You got it." Donna watched as he told their order to the waiter. "I remember a certain butler who always wondered why you picked pizza over his filet mignon or lobster. Have you talked to him lately? Either of them?"

"Not really. Have you?"

Donna fiddled with the straw in her glass of lemonade. "A few weeks ago."

"And how are they?" He tried to question her lightly, but she noticed that he was more passionate towards the topic than let on.

"Good," she attempted to reassure him. "Nothing new in Gotham.'

He nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "And how's Diana?"

"She's good. She's been spending a lot more time with the league since I'm spending the summer away and going to college in the fall." Donna laughed. "We sound so boring! Tell me about the Titans."

He grinned at her. "Let's see, what do you want to know?"

"Where'd you get the awesome motorcycle?"

"Everyone could fly and Cyborg had his car, so it's just easier for me to get around that way. Plus, like you said, it's awesome."

"Dick, you fly. Just not in the way that everyone thinks about," she told him lightly, squeezing his hand. "So, what else can you tell me? Like what can the rest of the Titan's do?"

"Aqualad probably mentioned Beast Boy, but he can turn into any animal imaginable. Cyborg is just that: a Cyborg. He has a sonic cannon as well. Raven is an empathy with healing and telekinetic abilities."

"And Starfire?" Donna prompted.

"She's very strong, and she can fly, as well as shoot starbolts out of her hands and eyes," He explained.

"Sounds like you have a great team going here. And the Teen Titans have an excellent reputation. You're happy here," she smiled at him from across the table. "You are happy here, right?"

"I am, Donna. I really am. Of course, I could do without the villains attacking everyday, but without that where would I be?" He shrugged. Before she could open her mouth to say something, a waiter put their pizza in the middle of the table and he dove right in.

"Hungry?"

"This pizza is awesome. Try it," he urged with a mouth full of cheese.

She carefully picked up a slice and brought it to her lips to blow on it. Then she took a bite, a strip of gooey cheese falling against her chin. "Oh, wow. If nothing else, this pizza is enough reason to stay here."

He grinned at her. "Remember the time we tried to make pizza?"

A laugh erupted from her throat. "Oh, I remember. We got sauce everywhere. I thought Alfred's head was going to explode!"

"I ended up having to repaint the kitchen. But I did learn a good lesson at least," he congratulated himself.

"What? Sauce stains?"

"No!" He blushed lightly. "When Alfred tells you no, it means no. That and never try to add tomatoes to your sauce using a blender. Especially when you can't find the top."

"Didn't we also put the pepperonis in there?" she choked out, cheeks flushed from laughter.

"That was your idea!" Robin protested.

"Well, you went along with it," she reminded him. She put down her crust and leaned her head back, shaking in amusement from the fond memory.

He took another slice of pizza and jammed it in his mouth before he said anything else to incriminate himself. Across the table, she rolled her eyes and did the same. After being sick of the silence, Donna began telling him about school, at his request. Robin enjoyed watching her talk animatedly about it; at least she enjoyed school. He hadn't liked his last experience (though, with Mad Mod as the headmaster, who would?) and sometimes he wondered about if he could have possibly made it like she did.

Robin chuckled as he reached for his fourth slice of pizza. "You really are gorgeous, you know."

She blinked. "Thank you. That's sweet. Completely random, but sweet. Wait, why do I sense a 'but' coming?"

Before he could answer, a ringing vibration in his pocket interrupted. Pulling the communicator out of his pocket, he flipped it open and looked at Raven's face on the screen. "What's up?"

"The H.I.V.E. again. They're hitting the bank on 51st."

"Gotcha. I'll be right there," Robin closed the top and put it in his pocket. "Donna, I'm sorry."

"Don't be!" she admonished, handing him her camera bag. "Go change, I'll pay for this and meet you by the bike."

He nodded and ran to the men's room. He put his shirt and jeans into the bag, thankful that he had worn his spandex underneath. After throwing on his gloves, cape, mask and utility belt, he went down to the street.

"Hey," Donna greeted him with a nod, working the button on her pants.

"Um…what are you doing?" He asked, before noticing the red cloth covering her legs. "Do you want to help?"

"It was kind of the plan," she grinned, hopping behind him on the bike.

"Alright, let's go," he pulled into the street, breaking the law in order to weave in and out of traffic while Donna removed her shirt and placed it in her bag.

"So, tell me about these H.I.V.E. people!" she said in his ear over the roar of the streets.

"Mammoth and Beast are basically just big and strong. Gizmo is a mechanic, but Cy or Beast Boy generally like to take care of him. SeeMore has different eyes; eye-orb, eye-shield, X-ray eye, you get the picture," he told her. "Jinx can cast bad luck hexes."

"X-ray eye, great," she sighed. "This Jinx, does she need to use her arms in order to cast the spells?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why, what are you thinking?" Robin would have turned to look at her if watching the road wasn't an important part of driving.

"You'll see." They both hopped off the bike as it pulled up to the crime scene.

"What's going on?" Robin looked at Cyborg for information, as it seemed that they'd just arrived a few seconds before them.

"Gizmo, Mammoth, SeeMore and Beast are inside. We can't see Jinx anywhere, and that's never a good sign," he reported. "We think there are seven workers and five patrons, but that's just a guess."

He nodded, then addressed the troops. "Right. Ok, Beast Boy I want you to turn into a small animal. A rodent or something and go through the pipes from the drive through. Raven and Starfire come through the front, I'll take the back door with Cyborg and Wond-," he looked behind him for their sixth member, seeing no one.

"Um, Robin? Who're you talking to?" His green friend questioned.

"I guess no one. Ok, Titan's GO!" He and Cyborg ran through the side alley. After a few moments, Robin had the lock undone and they were in.

Cyborg spotted Gizmo to the side, taking things out of the president's desk and muttering to himself. "I got the pipsqueak," the mechanical man told the fearless leader, coming up next to the loud kid and aiming the sonic cannon at him.

Robin turned towards the front only to run into a solid wall also known as Mammoth. The man picked him up, tossing him across the room. A birdarang shot out, wrapped around a hanging light from the ceiling. It served as a pendulum so Robin could swing back and kick him in the head.

The big man fell backwards for a second before regaining his balance. Until Beast Boy rammed into him from the side and Robin's bo staff made him lose consciousness. "Alright! Now that's team work!" Beast Boy had transformed back into his human self and held up his hand for a high five.

Robin's gloved palm met Beast Boy's. "We really shouldn't be celebrating yet. There are still four more criminals."

"Make that three!" Cyborg announced cheerfully, approaching the two. He had slung Gizmo over his shoulder, who had somehow become trapped in his own mechanics and was muttering something about tin-faced snot-munchers.

"Good job." He led his teammates into the front room after he finished tying up Mammoth. Raven had moved all the hostages to one corner, where she stood by them, creating a barrier from the attacks. Starfire was hovering near the ceiling, trying to hit Beast with starbolts as the villain dodged.

But what grabbed his attention was the way SeeMore was standing there, chuckling to himself as he watched the fight. "Gotta love X-ray vision…"

Robin kicked him hard, watching as the H.I.V.E. member flew across the floor. He knelt over him, grabbing his collar and hissed, "I'd suggest you don't do that again."

"Um…right, right," he switched back to the normal eye as Robin pinned him on his stomach. Overhead, Beast flew through the wall and onto the street outside.

"Oh, I did not hit you, did I, Robin?" Starfire flew to meet him, green eyes worried.

"No, I'm fine. Nice throw." Robin smiled at her as the police came in and began escorting the H.I.V.E.

When an officer had taken over care of the hostages, Raven met the rest of the group outside. "What about Jinx?"

The Fearless Leader sighed. "I don't know where she got to."

"Actually, she's right here." The group turned around and Robin grinned at his friend, who had Jinx tied up with a lasso. "I saw her going towards the pawn shop around the street while these guys distracted you."

Beast Boy gaped openly at the woman, gesturing to the red halter body suit that had twenty-two gold stars running across the sides and chest, as well as the gold belt with the classic W on it. "Oh, wow! You're Wonder Girl!" He looked back and forth down the street. "Where's Wonder Woman? Where is she?"

"She's not here," Wonder Girl chuckled, pushing her black hair behind her shoulders. "You don't recognize me, do you? It's Donna, Beast Boy."

"Whoa. So…Donna is Won…" Cyborg blinked, taking in the arm gauntlets and lasso that the police handed back to her. "That's awesome! Thanks for the help!"

"Wait wait wait wait wait!" Beast Boy turned and glared at Robin. "You knew Wonder Woman's sidekick-"

"Partner," Donna interrupted

"-and you never told us!"

"It never came up," Robin shrugged. "If you ever asked me, then yeah, I'd have told you."

As Beast Boy launched into a game of Twenty Questions about Wonder Woman, Starfire tapped Robin on the shoulder. "Are you alright, Robin? Something seems wrong."

He grinded his teeth. "I don't know. It just seems that that went too well. It was too easy."

"Is there a reason we're all standing in the street?" Raven announced, looking bored.

"Well, Donna and I still need to get some of her clothes from the hotel. We'll meet you back there," Robin told them as the four remaining Titans climbed into the T-Car.

"Alright, we'll see you then." Cyborg waved from the driver's side window and pulled away.

"I can fly if you don't want a passenger," Donna told him, reaching down to adjust her black boots around her mid-shin.

"No, no, it's fine," he smirked.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" She insisted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I just like your new outfit. It's different than your original one," Robin reminded her, nodding towards the side of her face. "I especially like your earrings."

Fingering the gold stars dangling from her ear, Donna winced as she remembered her old uniform. It had been a red tank top with a large gold eagle on it, partnered with extremely short shorts pattered after the stars part of the flag. Ballet shoes had been on her feet, with laces that wrapped up her legs. "Don't even go there, Short Pants. I remember your old uniform too."

He chuckled. "Alright, alright. I forget, you know all my darkest secrets." He mounted the R-cycle. "Hop on."

They drove to the hotel she was staying at and after she slipped her pants and shirt over the uniform and went inside, leaving Robin to relax as she gathered some clothes and informed the staff that this was the only night she would need the room.

When she returned with just a duffle bag, Robin raised an eyebrow. "That can't be all you have."

"Of course not." She hopped back on the bike. "This is just all I need for tonight. You said Cyborg would take me get the rest tomorrow."

"Right, right. C'mon, let's go back to the tower."

When they arrived, everything had already gone back to normal. Raven had retreated her room, Beast Boy and Cyborg were arguing over what to watch on television and Starfire was playing with Silkie. Robin showed Donna to a guest room. "You can stay here. I'm right down the hall."

"I remember," she grinned. "Thanks. I'm sure you have things to do after every case, but do you think I could take a shower? After a fight and spending a day on the plane I feel kind of grungy."

"Oh, sure. Bathroom's right down there," He nodded towards a door with the boys room/girls room symbols on it. "We only have one, but if anyone else needs to use it, don't worry about making them wait."

"In this huge tower you only have one bathroom?"

Robin shrugged. "I didn't build it."

"Well, thanks. I'm gonna let you get to do whatever you have to do." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Dick."

"No problem, Donna. Enjoy your shower." He exited her room, letting the door close behind him and escaped to the roof. It was here that under the stars, in the cool night air, he liked to think over their battled. What had they done right or wrong? What should they work on when they train? With the wide sky above him, staring out into the vast ocean, it seemed to put everything into perspective.

"Robin?" A soft voice called from behind. Starfire peered down at him. "Would you mind some company?"

"Not at all." He gestured for her to sit.

"Were you thinking of the fight today?" She cocked her head to the side, looking at him curiously.

He nodded. "Um, by the way, when SeeMore is around, you should watch yourself. He likes to watch you with a certain X-ray eye."

"Eep!" She instinctively used her hands to shield to more private parts of her body. "I thank you for that information. I shall do better in the future."

"You did great today," Robin protested. "The way you threw Beast was awesome. Especially since you were taking on both him and SeeMore at the same time while Raven protected the hostages."

"Are you still feeling uneasy about how it all came to be?"

"I don't know," He looked at the seas crashing against the rocks. "I just think we got off too easy."

"Perhaps we are just becoming better?" Starfire suggested. "And your friend helped."

Robin half-smiled. "That lasso always did come in handy. It's been a while since we're had an equal number of fighters on our team."

"The last time was Terra," she said coolly. "And we all know how that turned out."

He glanced at her sharply. It was a harsh thing to say, and seemed ever worse out of Starfire's generally soft-spoken mouth. "Well, it's not like Donna's joining the team anyway. She's going to college at the end of summer."

"I am still unfamiliar with exactly how your seasons work. How long does this summer last?" Starfire asked. "A week? Two?"

"Usually two to three months."

"Months? But…but…does she not have anything better to do with her time?" she sat up indignantly.

"Well, she has a few good friends from school, but since most of them are going to different colleges in the fall, they're doing different things over the summer. She already sent time with Titan's East, because she already knew Speedy and Aqualad. Diana has her own things to do. She wanted to spend some time with me."

"I see. And did you first meet her because she is Wonder Girl?"

Robin nodded. "Batman and Wonder Woman, whose Donna's big sister, were working together on a case. Since I worked with Batman and Donna works with Wonder Woman, we get tagged along. She was the first person I met that understood doing homework and going to fight bad guys.

"We instantly clicked. Alfred used to ask when we were going to finally get surgically attached, because we were so inseparable it seemed like we were joined at the hip. She lived in Gotham for a while and we were best friends. We fit well together; both of us knew what it's like to grow up as a superhero sidekick in our mentor's shadow."

Starfire considered this. "I believe you are what Raven would call kindred spirits?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I'm sorry, you didn't come up here to listen to me talk about Donna," he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"No, no, it is fine." She forced a smile.

"Didn't you have a best friend back on Tamaran?"

She shook her head, eyes downcast. "No. There I was the Princess and rarely interacted with others. When I was younger my sister and I went to train on the planet Okaara. I only went back to Tamaran briefly before coming here. Though I had acquaintances, and occasionally spent time with my younger brother, there was no one who was my friend like Donna is yours."

Starfire didn't talk too much about her past, but it was always interesting when she mentioned something new about herself. It felt nice for her to open up to him. He was about to ask more when the door opened. They both turned to see a very embarrassed Donna.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she pushed her wet hair behind her shoulders. "I'm interrupting. Please excuse me. Cyborg said I could find you up here, I just thought you'd be alone. Um, Dick, just come see me when you're done, ok? No need to rush. I'm really sorry." She turned and walked back down the stairs quickly.

The mood was broken. Both teenagers looked at each other uneasily. "I'm actually kind of tired, Starfire. Maybe we can do this again tomorrow?" Robin suggested.

"Oh, yes, of course," She nodded sadly. "Have the sugary dreams."

He grinned at her. "Sweet dreams to you too, Star. See you in the morning."

Even after he left, she remained there for a while, just staring at the scenery. The moonlight reflecting on the water, lights sparkling from the city. But even that couldn't brighten up her mood.

Starfire was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn't even realize Raven was there until her friend was sitting next to her. "Are you ok?" she asked, even thought she already knew the answer.

"I'm afraid not," the redhead whispered, wiping a lone tear as it rolled down her cheek. "Raven, I feel as if I've lost my best friend." She leaned against the shorter girl and began to cry.

The empath could sense the sorrow radiating off of her usually chipper friend and wrapped an arm around her shaking body. "It'll be ok, Starfire. Don't worry. I'll make it ok."

* * *

A/N: For some reason, these chapters just seem to write themselves. There were two more huge scenes that were supposed to be here, but I guess they're going to make up chapter three. Please excuse me if the second half is a little…weird. I was feverish and missing my Harry Potter party while I wrote it. 

I edited Donna's background a little to compensate for the lack of original Titans. Please excuse it, as I'm doing my best to make it work with the plot already established by the television show. Oh, hey, has anyone else noticed that all of the H.I.V.E. five are based off of X-men characters? I think the fact that Terra is based off of Kitty Pryde (besides the fact that Kitty's not a crazy homicidal mofo) is genius, but I'm wondering if these are supposed to be open parodies or the writers are just lazy.

Questions, comments, reactions and reviews are greatly appreciated.

* * *

Review Responses: 

Bree-2006: Dick Grayson is just so much more interesting. Plus, I'm a very big fan of the 80s Wolfman/Perez run. I even refuse to buy the new Teen Titans series because there's no Dick. I do read The Outsiders and (no surprise) The Return of Donna Troy. I hope you like this new chapter.

Starrydreamz: I'm happy you like this! It will eventually be RobinxStarfire, and as soon as I send the finish chapter to my beta I will resume working on Commitment chapter 10.

TendoGurl: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I will definitely continue.

Kay Jolyn: I like Babs, but I'm obsessed with Donna. I think she embodies everything every woman should strive to be and her relationship with Dick in the comics is priceless. I think all of the Titans feel that they're more than just teammates: they're family, and I'm going to do my best to portray that. I hope you like the new chapter.

Pinkprincess: I hate having people out of character, so I do my best to write them as close as possible. So saying that everyone is in character is one of the biggest praises I can receive, and I thank you!

DOJ: I shouldn't be surprised that you reviewed, but I'm so happy you did! I remember reading your one shot, so I do remember you are indeed a fan of Robin and Starfire. If you ever get a chance, I suggest you read the Wolfman/Perez run of Teen Titans, which has cemented Dick Grayson as the only Robin in my mind. And yes, Robbie is a tad insensitive, but he can't be like our Scott and Lance all the time (but Lance is going to be a tad unreasonable in the next chapter of Commitment, which I hope to have finished by tomorrow, but don't hold me to that!).

Renee Kayla: Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope you like this new chapter.


	3. Letting Go

Wishful Thinking

A Teen Titans fanfic by Lavender Gaia

Editing and Assistance by Emmi and Laine

Chapter 3: Letting Go

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any of its characters. They are all property of DC Comics.

Note: A scene of this was taken almost directly from The New Teen Titans #8. There was absolutely no way I could write it better, so I just tweaked the dialogue to fit my needs. Sorry Marv Wolfman!

* * *

Starfire finally decided to get up after a fitful night's sleep. It was doubtful that she got more than one hour at a time; she had constantly woken up during the night, not for any particular reason at all and that bothered her. There were voices out in the great room and she went to go see what was happening, abandoning all hope of rest. 

The boys were sitting around the counter in the kitchen, eagerly eating what looked like pancakes. All the energy she had gathered from the thought of a good breakfast instantly fled when she saw Donna by the stove, wearing and apron and pouring batter on to a skillet.

"Morning, Star!" Cyborg greeted her. "Come and eat, they're great."

Tentatively, she sat down. "Good morning, friends."

"Would you like some pancakes, Starfire?" Donna offered. "I can even through some strawberries or bananas in for you."

"Oh, I want peaches!" Beast Boy raised his hand to get her attention. "Do we have peaches?"

"Beast Boy, you've already had five," she grinned at him, then looked to Starfire for her answer. "I can always make you plain."

"Anything is fine." The Tamaranean princess forced a smile and was presented with a plate of banana pancakes. She carefully cut them and took a bite. They were excellent, she was sure of it, though it only tasted like sawdust in her mouth.

Suddenly, Robin was standing in front of her. "Here, Star, don't you want mustard with it?" The familiar yellow bottle was in her hand.

"Oh, yes!" It was her first genuine smile of the day. Eagerly squirting the yellow liquid over the breakfast food, her mood suddenly perked up. And the pancakes were good. Mustard made everything better.

Unfortunately, while putting the bottle down, she forgot her own strength and more mustard squirted through the top and landed on the Kiss the Cook apron Donna was wearing. "I…I did not mean to!" Inside, there was a sick satisfaction at seeing her less than perfect for once. Starfire was horrified at herself.

"It's ok, really," the Amazon removed the blue apron and ran it under water from the sink. "That's why we wear aprons after all. It'll wash out, no harm done."

The redhead nodded slowly, sickened that her subconscious could be so openly cruel. And now the pancakes tasted like sawdust again. Lovely.

Usually tension is broken when someone new walks into a room, but the same properties don't apply when that person is Raven. "Hey, Rae," Beast Boy greeted her. "You want some pancakes? Donna made them."

"I never knew you could cook," Robin told his friend with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't cook, I follow the recipe on the back of the box," She grinned. "But between me and Diana who do you think is more likely to make sure we have food? Anyway, Raven, we have any kind you want. Just name it."

"I'm just going to make myself some tea."

"You sure, Raven? They're really good." Cyborg was trying to lighten the mood. He wasn't sure, but he thought that he was the only one who realized Starfire hadn't apologized.

The dark woman looked over at Starfire, who was pushing her pancakes around in the mustard, trying to make shapes. "I'm positive." She put a mug full of water in the microwave and sat on the couch.

Beast Boy shrugged. "Can I have hers?"

Donna held up a plate. "I have eight left. Who wants some?" All of the boys raised their hands. "Ok, ok," she put two on all of their plates, then left the remaining two for herself.

A few minutes later, Beast Boy sat back, patting his stomach. "Dude, that was great. Can you cook every day?"

"Well, I wouldn't expect anything gourmet, but I'll do my best."

"Man, BB, she's supposed to be our guest, not our chef!" Cyborg shook his head at his younger friend's carelessness. "Don't worry about it, Donna, you don't have to cook for us."

"No, its ok, I want to! I should carry my weight around here too." She started collecting everyone's dishes and putting them in the sink to soak. "Don't you have anything to say, Dick?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Nope, you're too stubborn. Wouldn't do any good if I said anything anyway."

"The Prince of Obstinacy is calling me stubborn?" she faced him with a look of surprise. To his side he heard Beast Boy sneeze; a sneeze that sounded rather like "Hypocrite!"

Robin shrugged. "What can I say, you take after your sister. And if I'm the prince, who's the king?"

She smirked. "Guess."

It didn't take him more than a few moments to figure it out. "Prince of Gotham, Prince of Obstinacy, am I always going to come in second place to him?"

Before Donna could answer, Cyborg interrupted. "Hate to butt in on you guys bickering like an old married couple—it's cute, really—but I got stuff to do in town. So if you want me to drive you…"

"Oh, right, we're sorry. I'm ready to go if Dick is." Donna looked at her longtime friend, who was chugging down the rest of his milk.

"How long will you be gone for?" Starfire asked tentatively.

The trio exchanged a look. "I don't know about you two, but I have stuff to do," Cyborg explained.

"And I wanted to show Donna around. Let's say a couple of hours, at least," Robin smiled at Starfire. "We'll keep you updated. Call if something happens!" He instructed the rest of his team as Cyborg dragged him out the door.

"Finally," Raven grumbled, getting up to reheat the water that was still in the microwave. "I thought they'd never leave."

"What's wrong with you?" Beast Boy asked, not completely surprised by this outburst.

"I don't like her."

"Why not? She's nice, she can cook, she's related to WONDER WOMAN for Pete's sake, Raven! What's not to like?" He raised a green eyebrow at her until Raven gestured faintly to Starfire's sigh.

"You are right, Beast Boy," the Tamaranean agreed. "She is nice. And very pretty as well." And she hated her for it. Of course, it probably would have been easier to hate Donna if she didn't want to like her so much. She could see why she was friends with Robin; the two fit together well and she felt like a wheel that had suddenly gone flat and was put aside to bring in a new, better tire.

"Are you ok?" he asked the redhead, who was swirling the leftover syrup on her plate with her index finger.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine. Joyous. Wondrous. And other nice adjectives…" This was all spoken in a monotone that impressed even Raven.

"So, uh, do you want to do something today, Star?" Beast Boy asked. "I mean, it's not like we have to sit around here and wait for them. We could go to the mall."

Raven glared at the green man from over by the microwave; luckily, Starfire liked the idea. "We could go to the mall of shopping? Truly?"

The half-demon would have protested if she hadn't actually missed the delighted, hopeful look on her friend's face. "Sure. Why not."

"And, perhaps, we could see a film as well?" She suggested excitedly.

"Of course, Starfire!" Beast Boy answered quickly. "Whatever you want."

"Yeah. Whatever." From her spot in the kitchen, Raven glared at him. If looks could kill, he'd have died, been brought back to life in an obscure comic book manner, and then have died again. In other words, he'd have been Jean Grey.

"I wish to see House of Fleas!" Starfire told her friends, as if something amazing had happened, like she'd won the lottery or cafeteria chili was suddenly not radioactive.

"…isn't that the movie with the _talking animals_?" Raven twitched, straining the last two words.

"Talking animals?" Beast Boy looked at them incredulously. "Who ever heard of that?"

"You…you do not wish to see it?" Starfire's face fell and an air of desperation fell over the room.

"No, no, we do!" her friends assured her.

"Oh, joyous!" She exclaimed, and this time she really meant it. She went downstairs to leave, her two friends following her and wondering what they had gotten themselves into.

* * *

"Man, girl, do you really need all that?" Cyborg chuckled as Robin loaded Donna's fifth and final suitcase into the trunk of the T-Car. 

"Just because you wear the same clothes every day doesn't mean I have to," she smirked.

"Touché." He started up his baby after Robin climbed back into the passenger seat. "Where did you guys wanna go? I was just thinkin' of walking around the park for a while."

"That sounds fine," Robin nodded and Cyborg went on his way. He parked on the sidewalk, then got out and started walking. "So, where are we going?" his leader asked.

Cyborg looked at him warily, trying to think of a good way to say "Get lost." Luckily, Donna came to his rescue. "Dick, I think he wanted to walk alone. So we'll take this path." She pointed to the one away from his and started pushing Robin down it.

He sighed with relief. For a while he'd wanted to get out and get some exercise that involved clearing his head, not preparing for Slade to attack. It was peaceful in the park until something hit him on the head.

"Huh?" Cyborg blinked, and looked around. "What in the…"

"Hey, it's you again!" Suddenly, the kid that he had seen the time after their first battle with Mumbo was there. "Cyborg!"

"Hey, kid," the half-man smiled, then reached down to pick up the baseball that had knocked him in the head. "Still haven't learned to catch, huh?"

Before he could answer, a feminine voice called. "Johnny? What's taking you so long? And haven't I told you not to bother—Oooh!"

Cyborg stared in awe at the pretty blonde who had just come through, followed by a flock of kids. Her blue eyes blinked at him in surprise; apparently, this hadn't been what she was expecting. "It's ok, Miss Simms!" The little boy, obviously Johnny, told her. "It's Cyborg! He's just like us. He's got a prosthetic too. Only his are really shiny and neat."

"Someone pinch me and wake me up…" Cy muttered under his breath, amazed at the way her hair curled so nicely around her shoulders.

"I see what you mean," she grinned. "But you shouldn't bother strangers."

"So, who's a stranger? My name's Cyborg, of the Teen Titans," he introduced himself formally.

"And I'm Sarah Simms, their counselor," she told him.

"Counselor? I don't get it."

"All these kids go to a special program," Sarah explained quietly. "They all have prosthetics of one sort of another. And they're out here, well, to relearn things…to show them they can lead a full life again. Some of them weren't sure before. But now, they're learning, almost forgetting their problems."

"Miss Simms, c'n he play with us? C'n he, c'n he?" one of the children asked, tugging on Sarah's lavender t-shirt.

"Kids, he's probably very busy…" she started.

"Busy?" Cyborg cut in. "Miss Simms, somehow I don't think I got anythin' more important to do than play some ball. Man, never thought I'd say that again." He pat her back. "You sit down and relax. Me? I'm about to have some long overdue fun."

He started walking towards the field, Sarah blinking after him in amused surprise while the children cheered. "C'mon, you crummy kids—last one to the diamond's a lousy Imperial Stormtrooper!"

On the other side of the park, Robin and Donna were enjoying the pure blue sky and sunlight pouring down on them. "This is really nice, Dick," she told him with a bright smile.

"Sometimes we have cook outs here. We play football and Frisbee and stuff," he told her, reminiscing.

"That sounds like fun. Do you think we'd have a chance to do that while I'm here?"

"Sure, I'm sure we can arrange something." He put an arm around her shoulders. "Let me guess, you and Diana don't throw around a football a lot."

She laughed. "No, not exactly. I like it here though. It's…peaceful."

Before he could answer, a screech that could wake the dead reached their ears. "ROBBIE POOOOOO!"

Robin paled. "Oh, no, not her. She's supposed to be in jail!" He looked around frantically, trying to track the piercing scream. "Run." He took her hand and started going down the path.

"Dick…" she tried to tell him, following. "Dick!"

"Donna, we can't let her find me!"

"I know," she grinned, taking off. "That's why we're going to fly." She landed in a nearby tree, where they would be hidden and still have a view of the path below.

The blonde was searching wildly, muttering to herself. "I'll find you, Robbie. You're going to be all mine again!" After completing her search, she continued down the path, rants becoming less and less earsplitting.

"So…um, who was that?" Donna asked, holding back a giggle.

"Her name is Kitten," Robin said in disgust. "She's kind of obsessed with me."

"Oh? And here I thought you just owed her money."

He glared at her playfully. "More along the lines of she wants me to marry her and be her love slave forever and ever. She thinks I love her too."

Donna leaned against the trunk of the tree. "Why would she think that?"

"I took her to her Junior Prom."

"You leave your taste in Gotham or something?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"I had to or she would release killer moths all over the city," he explained. "Trust me, it's more dangerous than it sounds. I try to block that night out of my head though." Except for dancing with Starfire, of course. He'd enjoyed that.

"Alright, whatever you say. So, are we just going to sit up here all day?"

He grinned, wrapping an arm around her waist and gently dropped to the ground, landing on his feet. She smiled and Robin realized that they were standing very close. This wasn't totally unwanted, not at all. "You know, there's a nice pond…we could go sit by it."

"I'd like that." They walked out on to the path and he led her to a shady bench next to the lake. A few ducks came up and Donna held on in her hands. "They're so cute."

"Yeah, they are." He remembered Bruce saying something about Wonder Woman having an affinity to animals and this apparently passed down to Donna. That would also explain why Beast Boy was so enamored with the beautiful Justice League member.

When the duckling wandered back to its mother, she laid her head on his shoulder. Robin looked down at her; her eyes were just so blue. It was almost as if he was looking at a feminine mirror of himself, though if he was a girl he probably wouldn't think he was so hot.

"You're staring at me," she murmured without even looking at him.

"Sorry," he sat up, looking straight ahead.

"Hey, it's ok," she told him. "Just making an observation. Go ahead, stare away."

He did so. She really was beautiful. And apparently she enjoyed staring back at him. Before he knew it, they were kissing and he was enjoying the hell out of that. He hadn't done much kissing in his short time on earth, but this was a wow compared to what he had done.

Robin wasn't sure who had kissed who exactly, but this didn't stop his brain from going _"Um, hello? Remember Starfire? The girl you love? Hot alien chick back at the big T?" _His hormones would have told his brain to shut up, but they were too concentrated on the hot girl that was kissing him.

When they finally broke apart, he vaguely thought of how impressive their lung capacity was, then wondered whether or not that was normal. Donna's cheeks were flushed, but she looked happy and that was important. He kissed her again, a bit pissed that he could take down any bad guy that came near, yet he couldn't even control his damn hormones.

_What about Starfire? _The little voice continued.

But he knew that was too complicated. She was a teammate, she was an alien Princess (though why that was so much worse than an Amazon princess he didn't know), she was…Starfire. The fantasy girl that every guy wants, but no one truly ever gets. And she wasn't the one who was here right now, kissing him.

But one of the things about dream girls, as with any sort of dream, is that eventually you have to let them go. So even though his heart was calling out to him to rethink this, realize what he was giving up, he kissed Donna again, letting go.

* * *

Raven's left eye wouldn't stop twitching. House of Fleas had been over for almost ten minutes, but as Starfire used to crowded restrooms, Beast Boy had to stand with a pissed off half-demon who wanted to kill him. Currently, he wanted to turn into a turtle and crawl into his shell. 

Starfire came out, floating happily. "Oh, that movie was most enjoyable!"

"Yeah. Sure," Raven grumbled. "Can we leave now?"

They left the theater and walked back through the mall. Starfire ooo'ed and aaah'ed at everything she saw as she window shopped. "Friends, please tell me, what is a Sephora?"

Beast Boy smirked as Raven's eyes widened in fear. "It's a shop for make up and perfume and stuff."

Starfire squealed with delight. "Oh, we must go!" She took Raven's arm and dragged her towards the store, while the green man heard the dark girl mutter, "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you."

He was about to go into EBGames to see if they had anything new he could be Cyborg at when something caught his eye. It was blonde hair, just the sight of it immediately stopped his heart. He knew that hair. He knew that back as it walked away from him.

"No way…" he whispered. "Terra?"

* * *

A/Ns: I'd just like to say now that Sarah Simms isn't an OC. She was a comic character that was first introduced in The New Teen Titans number 8. If you ever do get the comic, you will notice that most of the dialogue from that scene is more or less directly copied. It was just written so well in the comics that I couldn't bear to change it.

* * *

Questions, comments, reactions and reviews are greatly appreciated. 

Starrydreamz: I'm glad you enjoy it. I hope you like this chapter.

Deadlyabyss12: Here's the next chapter!

Somekindafreaky: I love Donna, she's a great character. I don't understand why no one writes about her. I'm glad you like my X-men fics too.

Bree-2006: Robin can be such a guy and that's not a good thing in this case. He really cares about Star, but the mind, heart and hormones don't always agree. I'm really glad you like it though.

SuperracchiE: I'm so happy you're enjoying it. I hope you like this new chapter.

DOJ: At least Star has other friends to cheer her up, even if it includes watching a talking animal movie. Donna is very closely related to Diana (she's kind of like her Madelyne Pryor, without going crazy and trying to kill everyone).


	4. Friends

Wishful Thinking

A Teen Titans fanfic by Lavender Gaia

Editing and Assistance by Emmi and Laine

Chapter 4: Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any of its characters. They are all property of DC Comics. I also don't own Winry Rockbell. She belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.

* * *

A million thoughts ran through Beast Boy's head at once: I have to go after her; should I tell the girls; what animal do I turn into? He was sure he could track her by sight, smell, probably even echo location. The green man pushed his way through the crowd as his mystery woman went into the theater.

"Move!" He told the gaggle of middle school girls who stood and giggled in front of the poster for the newest Brad Pitt movie. Briefly considering turning into a wolf just to scare them, he just pushed past them and stumbled into the theater.

There were plenty of blonde women around. None of them were his though. "I know she came in here!" He murmured to himself.

"Sir?" A cashier for the movie theater was waving to get his attention. "Do you want to buy a ticket?"

"Um…no, no thanks." Dejected, he turned to leave, frustrated that he couldn't find her. Unfortunately, no matter how famous and popular you were, it was a bad idea to turn into a bloodhound in the middle of the mall. Plus, if she wanted to go see a movie instead of trying to find him, maybe he wasn't important to her anymore.

Starfire and Raven were still in Sephora when Beast Boy met up with them. Raven was very unhappy as Starfire tried yet another color that even he could tell wasn't right for her. "Can we go now?" Raven asked pleadingly.

"Oh, yes, I believe I will pay for my purchases and then we may leave, if you wish," Starfire smiled at him and went to the counter with the saleslady that had been helping her.

Raven told him she would wait outside and he could see her glancing conspiratorially at Hot Topic through the glass window. Beast Boy leaned against the door, vaguely aware that he looked like a bored guy waiting for his girlfriend. Unfortunately, his girlfriend was dead, or the closest thing you could get.

Then he heard it: the most musical, wonderful thing in the world. That laugh. Her laugh. The only one that ever laughed at his jokes. Glancing around as if looking for a fire, he searched the crowd for the producer of the laugh and could have sworn he'd once again seen that shock of blonde. While he prepared to go searching again, Starfire approached him from behind.

"I am ready!" Her smile faded at the urgency on his face. "Beast Boy, is everything alright?"

Damn, he'd lost it. "Um, yeah, Star. Raven went over there." He pointed to Hot Topic as Starfire gained rapid interest for not only that, but two other stores down that corridor. Though there was no question in his mind that this was going to last quite a while, he did wonder one thing: Was he going crazy?

* * *

Cyborg wiped off the sweat that had accumulated on his human skin as Sarah handed out bottles of Gatorade to the kids. "Heads up!" she tossed one to him, which he caught gracefully.

"Thanks," He nodded his appreciated before unscrewing the orange top and downing half of the blue liquid.

"I should thank you for playing with the kids," she told him. "They had a great time and they're tired out. Do you rent your time by the hour?"

Cyborg chuckled. "Not exactly. I had fun, though. It's too bad you have to leave."

"Well, they have a snack in a half hour and most of their parents will be there to pick them up as soon as that's over," she explained. "But you know…if you don't have anything else to do, you could walk over with us and I'll give you a tour of the school."

He quickly checked his communicator and the recent police frequencies. "Well, everything seems quiet on the home front, so I think I have some time. I'd love to come."

Sarah smiled at him and picked up the cooler. "Great. Alright, kids, let's get ready to go!"

"Mr. Cyborg!" A little girl tapped on him lightly. "Can I have a piggy back ride?"

She was small for her age and both legs were prosthetics. He could feel his heart melting as he looked at her big, brown eyes. "Of course." Leaning down to pick her up, he settled her on his shoulders and she held on to his head to keep her balance.

It was only a five minute walk and Sarah led them through the back door because everyone was pretty dirty. The kids put away their hats and gloves and assembled in a straight line in front of their teacher. "I'm going to give our guest a tour. I'm going to put one of you in charge." Every single hand shot up in front of her. "Alright, Bobby. Take everyone into the snack room and you and Susan can hand out the snacks."

They filed out of the room towards two large doors that read: CAFETERIA. He and Sarah went the other way and he noticed a mural on the wall with the words "West Side School for the Handicapped" over it. "So, this is a school?"

"Not exactly. It used to be, but we couldn't afford to keep it that way since we didn't get any government funding," she explained. "We have tutors for the children that recently come out of their surgeries and can't return to public school yet, but that's it.

"Basically, we're just an after school program. Children who have come to us before to get fitted for prosthetics and to get their physical therapy have a place to come after school and on weekends and vacations while their parents work. They made good friends here, and many of them don't go to school together or live near each other. It's a safe way for then to get together with their friends and their parents can be assured that they're physically active and not sitting around and playing video games all day."

Cyborg chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, uh, ya know, sometimes kids need to be able to sit around and play some video games."

Sarah winked at him. "I know. That's why some of us arranged this." She opened a door with GAME ROOM on the front, revealing a large group of kids. They were playing consul games, PACMAN machines, ping-pong, pinball and pool. A man about their age waved to them, then went back to showing one of the children how to bank a ball into the side pocket.

He nodded appreciatively. "Good woman."

She laughed and they went back down the hall. "Right now we're a summer camp for those kids. It's one of the only times we get money for our services."

"Is that why you volunteer here?" Cy asked.

"Exactly. Most of the workers here are volunteers because our boss doesn't get much funding. There's only one big donator. The owner of Shield Institute gives us a lot, but it's really not enough because most of our services are free. Our boss gets a good deal from the prosthetic makers, but the only other income she has is from her custom makes."

"She makes prosthetics?"

The blonde nodded. "State of the art mechanical ones. Kind of like yours, in fact. She uses metalwork and technology as well as the nerve ending left at the base so that the prosthetic will be exactly like a regular arm, besides for the fact that it's metal."

"I'd love to see that," he told her eagerly.

"And she's going to love to see you," she smiled conspiratorially and approached the front desk near the door. "Hey, Cindy, do you know where Boss is?"

"Exam room 2 with Ben. She should be out in a few minutes," Cynthia smiled at Cyborg. "Do we have a guest?"

"I picked up a stray," Sarah grinned good naturedly, then gestured for a pair of chairs for them to sit in.

Cyborg sank into the leather and faced his new friend. "So, this whole place only runs on one donation?"

She nodded. "Well, we have smaller donations here and there and the kids like fundraisers, but we basically run on the donation from Shield Industries. Ever since the new CEO took over seven years ago, he's been donating to us."

"Shield Industries…that sounds familiar," he quickly racked his brain.

"They're a scientific and technological development center in Jump City. A lot of people compare it to Gotham's Wayne Corps. I'm not sure if you were here at the time, but years ago the CEO and most of his family died in a car crash. His younger brother took over and the company is still working hard. They even outfit our police officers with their armor and weapons."

Cynthia waved to get their attention. "Boss is done. She should still be in Exam Room 2."

"Thanks, Cynth. C'mon, let's go meet her." Sarah knocked on Exam Room 2 and went in when a high female voice answered. "Hey, Boss, I brought you a gift."

Cyborg looked in to see a young woman—she couldn't have been older than her mid-twenties—washing her hands. Extremely long blonde hair was held back by a ponytail holder and her bangs held back by a bandana over the top of her head. She wore a sleeveless white shirt and short black skirt under her apron, and Cyborg briefly wondered why none of his nurses never dressed like that.

The older woman turned around, a bright smile that went up to her big blue eyes. "Oh. Wow." Her jaw dropped when she saw who her visitor was and she clung to one of his arms. "I have to work on you!"

Sarah snickered and Cyborg realized that she knew this was going to happen. "Cyborg, this is Winry Rockbell. Boss, this is Cyborg of the Teen Titans."

"Nice to meet you," He nodded.

"Who is your mechanic?" she asked quickly, bouncing.

"I am, basically…"

"But, if you couldn't do it, then who would do it?"

"Um…you could, if you wanted," he told her. She danced with delight and Cyborg glanced at Sarah, "You set me up."

She grinned wickedly. "Isn't it nice to know you have a fan? She would sell her soul to work on you. Work quickly and I bet you could even get her first born out of it."

"So…" Winry had finally calmed down. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I met with Sarah and her kids in the park and she told me all about the school. I'd really like to help out in anyway I can," he explained. "I'd love to volunteer, maybe even endorse it. Except I wouldn't need any money to do that or anything."

"Like a PR stunt?" Winry raised an eyebrow and considered it. "I like it. I'm the only one running this place, so I can use any help I can get."

"Great!" the tall man brightened up considerably. "Are there any forms I need to fill out or anything?"

"Do you need school credit?" He shook his head. "Then no, just show up whenever you like. There will never be a time when we don't need you."

"I can try to come tomorrow," he suggested when his arm sounded. "Excuse me." The video screen came up. "Cyborg here."

"Cy, it's Robin. Donna and I are waiting by the car. If you're busy, she can get us home, but…"

"Oh, sorry, man. I'll be right there. Just give me a few minutes." He hung up and turned to the girls. "I have to leave. I'll do my best to come tomorrow, but I don't usually get to choose what times I have to work."

Winry nodded. "Alright then. Thank you."

"I'll walk you out," Sarah offered and waved to her boss as they left the exam room. "I should be here tomorrow, so find me if you come, ok?"

He grinned at her. "Of course. Thanks Sarah, I'll see you later." He nodded to Cynthia as he left through the front door and jogged to the T-Car in the park. "I'm sorry, were you waiting long?" Cyborg asked his teammates.

"Not at all," Donna told him, giving Robin a playful glare. "You really didn't have to come. I could have flown back."

"It's no big deal. Hop in." He climbed in the front seat, raising an eyebrow as Robin climbed in the backseat with Donna. "So, what were you two up to?"

They exchanged a look. "Nothing."

"Um, where were you, Cy?" Robin asked, blushing as he attempted to change the subject.

"I met some new friends. Lots of friends, actually. Hey, Rob, did you know about the West Side School for the Handicapped?" The Boy Wonder shook his head. "Well, it's a school for kids with prosthetics. I told them I'd help out anyway I could. Volunteer, do PR stuff, fight any baddies that came their way."

Donna smiled at him. "Cyborg, that's wonderful. Maybe I should do something like that. Adopt a cause or something."

"We all should," Robin nodded. "I'll talk to the rest of the guys later. We need to have a meeting anyway."

Cyborg tensed a little as his friend once again took something that was supposed to be his and made it into a Robin thing, but curiosity took over at his friend's cryptic tone. "Something happen?"

"I'll explain later, I just have to keep telling myself that running away to Canada is not a good thing. Hey, Cy, you wanna be trade? You be Robin. You've had experience before," he offered.

"No, thanks, man. I'm good." He smiled lightly after realizing that he really was good; he hadn't just said it to get out of whatever Robin was afraid of.

"Just think, Dick, it could be worse," Donna said as she got out of the car.

Robin gave her a look. "Oh, yeah? How?"

"Bruce could be here teasing you about it."

He stopped dead. "You're right. It could be worse. It could be much, much worse." The three went upstairs and flopped on the couch.

"Hey, where're BB and the girls?" Cyborg asked.

"Raven called to say that they went to the mall," he checked the time. "They should be back in a half-hour."

The half-man nodded. "Ya know what? I'm in such a good mood, I'm gonna drive downtown and pick up pizzas for everyone. Donna, you like anything special?"

"I'll eat whatever," she grinned. "Thanks for thinking of me though."

"No problem, girl. I'll call and drive over. You two can…do whatever you want to do," Cyborg waggled an eyebrow at the pair before walking away to leave them with whatever show they were watching.

Donna leaned against Robin's side and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Somehow, holding her in the middle of Titan's Tower was a lot different than it was in the park. Sure, she was still beautiful and sweet, but he felt like a kid in the cookie jar, as if he was doing something wrong.

"I'm heading out, guys! See ya soon!" Cyborg called to them before going down to the T-Car.

Robin relaxed knowing that they were alone. He pulled her closer, enjoying her little purr of contentment. Donna smiled up at him and he kissed her again. It was soft and sweet, and he could feel all of the burdens of being a superhero melting away.

Then the door opened and Beast Boy's loud voice greeted his ears. The Boy Wonder pulled away quickly and stood to greet them, causing Donna to yelp and topple on to the floor. "Hey, guys," he greeted them. "Have fun at the mall?"

"Oh, yes!" Starfire beamed at him. "We saw House of Fleas and went to the Sephora and other stores! It was wondrous."

"I'm glad you had a good time, Star," he smiled at her, then looked at her companions. "What about you two?"

Raven glared at him and Beast Boy just sighed. "Great."

"Ow?" Donna said from the floor, attempting to get his attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry," He helped her up and they sat back on the couch with the mall trio. Luckily, she didn't rest against him again; somehow she understood him without the need for him to do anything and he loved that about her.

When Cyborg returned they ate their dinner until Robin called a team meeting. "While we were at the park today, Donna and I ran into someone." He shuddered lightly. "It was Kitten. She probably got out at the same time Killer Moth did, but just recently showed herself."

Cyborg smirked knowingly, but Starfire was concerned. "She does not wish to take Silkie back, does she?" she picked up the larva and hugged it.

"No," he grumbled and Raven swore that she heard him mutter 'I wish' under his breath. "She wants me. Now, it's probably just a fangirl obsession, but we should all keep on the lookout for anything suspicious from her or her father."

Wonder Girl sighed. She had no idea what these people were talking about. She felt for a second that she didn't belong; this was Dick's world and she was intruding. And what was that thing?

Raven glanced over at Donna, who was staring in shock at Silkie. "Something wrong?"

"Um, no, no, it's just…what is that?"

"He is Silkie, my bumgorf!" Starfire hugged him protectively.

Cyborg rubbed the back of his head. "He, uh, used to be a moth larva under Killer Moth's control until BB here adopted him."

"You don't like Silkie?" Beast Boy wasn't sure if he should feel hurt or offended.

"Oh, he's…adorable!" She reached over and scratched it under it's chin. "Good…bumgorf. It's nice to meet you, Silkie."

"Alright," Robin looked around at his team. "Since it looks like we might actually have a light night, we should go down and do some training. Donna, you wanna join us?"

"If you give me a minute to change, I'd love to." She flew off to her room.

"Alright, just meet us downstairs." Robin and the girls left, but Beast Boy asked Cyborg, "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Green Genes, what's up?"

Beast Boy bit his bottom lip. "First of all, you have to assure me I'm not crazy."

"I'm not supposed to lie, what do I do?" Cyborg joked before realizing that his friend was serious. "Hey, I was just kidding. Course you're not crazy. What's wrong, man?"

He put his hands over his face and took a deep breath. "When we were at the mall, I…I thought I saw Terra. And then I thought I heard her laugh, and…"

"Are you sure it was her? I mean, she isn't the only blonde girl in town."

"Dude, I'd know her anywhere!" His voice cracked slightly. "I know Terra. She's...I…It's Terra. Trust me, it was her."

Cyborg considered the facts. "I hate to say this, but…Terra's dead. Or the closest thing to it."

"I know that, I know. So…am I crazy then? I'm finally losing it?"

"I'm not saying that!" He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Listen, it's still us, so anything could happen. If we have time tomorrow, you should go, I dunno, check on her or something."

He nodded. "Yeah…yeah, I think I'll do that."

Donna came back in at that moment, dressed in her wonder girl outfit. "Are we ready to go?"

Cyborg smiled at her. "Yeah, let me show you where the training rooms are."

"Give me a minute," Beast Boy told them. "I'll be right down." He went down the hallway and opened the door to Terra's room. It hadn't changed since she'd left all that time ago, and most of the time they did their best to walk past it without even so much as a glance at the door. "Terra, please…" he whispered to no one in particular. "If you're out there, somewhere…come back to us."

Then he left, letting the door shut behind him.

* * *

A/N: The West Side School for the Handicapped was also in the comics. I think I made it different just to fit the television series. Winry Rockbell is from the series Fullmetal Alchemist; I just thought that the character fit great for here.

Questions, comments, reactions and reviews are greatly appreciated.

* * *

Review Responses:

Bree-2006: I'm glad using Donna is so original; I really don't see why more people don't use her, she's an original Titan and it's been said many times that she's probably the woman that Dick loves most in the world, even over Babs and Kori (though I think the writer of the new Donna Troy series forgot that, since he has all of two lines).

Kay jolyn: I loved writing that X-men reference; the Star Wars one was actually from the original comics. I always thought he acted like a little brother towards them all (even though he continuously hit on Donna and Starfire in the comics). Yes, it is supposed to be Robin and Starfire. I'm honored that you like She Will Be Loved as well. Thank you!

DOJ: Of course you have permission to smack Robin. Smack away. I think BB takes pleasure in tormenting all his friends (except maybe Starfire; that would feel like kicking a puppy).

AnnMari123: If you'd like to convince Robin to choose Starfire, be my guest. I'm happy you liked it though, thank you for reading.

Deadlyabyss12: You can call me babe if you want. I don't mind. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

SuperrachiE: Just the idea of Robin "macking face" with anyone makes me laugh. I know it's supposed to be Starrob, don't worry so much!

AvePlateada: Well, at least Star doesn't know that they're making out…yet.

MyMonkeyIsOrange: Thank you very much.


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